Autopsy scheduled for woman found dead in Exeter

Police are hoping a medical examiner will be able to determine the identity and cause of death of a woman whose remains were discovered in Exeter. Firefighters found her body inside a burning concrete plant on Thursday.

A State Police Major Crime Unit vehicle arrives in Exeter after a body was found inside an abandoned industrial building in the wake of a fire. (Ryan McBride/Democrat staff photo)

EXETER — Police are investigating a suspicious death in Exeter, where a woman's body was discovered inside an abandoned concrete plant that caught on fire Thursday morning.

The fire broke out at the former City Concrete building at 2 Hampton Road at about 7 a.m. Emergency responders found the remains of an adult female inside the building while knocking down the fire, according to an announcement released by the New Hampshire attorney general's office.

Investigators are still probing the circumstances behind the woman's death, which has been deemed “suspicious.” The state medical examiner is set to perform an autopsy this morning to try to identify the woman and determine the cause and manner of her death.

Senior Assistant Attorney General Susan Morrell declined to comment on the condition of the woman's body prior to the autopsy.

Caitlyn Lussier, an employee of nearby Access Sports Medicine & Orthopaedics, recalled seeing smoke rising from the old concrete facility at about 6:45 a.m. Fire trucks were on scene within about 15 minutes, she said.

Early on, police focused their attention on a suspicious vehicle on the property — a gray Hyundai, which was parked in the entryway to the 11.8-acre site.

Lussier remembered seeing the car from her office window before the fire began in the morning.

Police surrounded the Hyundai with crime scene tape after the fire was extinguished. They eventually covered the vehicle with a tent — a guard against the wet snow that fell throughout the day.

Another twist in the investigation came at about 10 a.m., when a man in a brown jacket was seen speaking to police. Two officers were seen frisking the man in the parking lot of Access Sports Medicine, which is located across the street from the concrete plant.

It remains unclear why the man was searched. Morrell declined to comment on whether he is under investigation.

The New Hampshire attorney general's office and the State Police Major Crime Unit were both active in the investigation by noon. Investigators collected evidence inside the concrete plant, and also searched parts of the Exeter Recreation Complex next door. They inspected a dumpster on the grounds of the complex at least twice. Officers could also be seen searching the perimeter of the parking lot, carrying a plastic box.

Later in the afternoon, two state troopers returned to Access Sports Medicine to photograph a black Honda sedan parked outside. The Honda had New Hampshire license plates and a Hampton parking sticker in the window. The troopers scrutinized the car for more than 40 minutes, taking photographs of the interior, exterior, trunk and undercarriage.

No fire damage was visible on the outside of the concrete plant, which was constructed in 1950, according to Exeter Town Assessor John DeVittori. The structure measures roughly 3,000 square feet, and has been vacant for about two decades, DeVittori said. The property is owned by Wakefield Investments Inc., registered out of Wakefield, Mass.

State police documented evidence at the scene for at least five hours, along with officials from the New Hampshire state fire marshal's office.

Fire investigators were planning to provide information about the incident around 11 a.m., but as police activity increased, they scrapped the plan.

“It's a whole different thing right now,” an official from the fire marshal's office said in the early afternoon.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact New Hampshire State Police at 603-271-3636.